Richest Footballer in the World: Football is not just the most viewed sport in the world but also a multi-billion dollar industry consisting of a worldwide fanbase, big sponsorship deals, and costly player contracts. World’s richest footballers are so rich thanks to the football mania among fans which makes major financial investments in the sport, happen. According to a recent survey, Faiq Bolkiah is the richest footballer in the world. This article focuses on the world’s top 10 richest football players, read more for further details.
Given below is a list of the world’s top 10 Richest Footballers, according to a recent survey conducted in 2023:
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S.No.
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Name
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Net Worth
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Team
|
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1.
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Faiq Bolkiah
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$20 billion
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Chonburi F.C., Thailand
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|
2.
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Lionel Messi
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$600 million
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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
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3.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
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$500 million
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AI Nassar
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4.
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David Beckham
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$450 million
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Manchester United
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|
5.
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Dave Whelan
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$210 million
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Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra
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|
6.
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Neymar Jr.
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$200 million
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Paris-Saint Germain (PSG)
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7.
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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$190 million
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Serie A Club AC Milan
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8.
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Kylian Mbappe
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$180 million
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Ligue 1 Club Pairs-Saint Germain
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9.
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Wayne Rooney
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$170 million
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D.C. United
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10.
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Ronaldo Luis Nazario
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$160 million
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Real Madrid
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1. Faiq Bolkiah | $20 billion
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Net Worth
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$20 billion
|
|
Team
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Chonburi F.C., Thailand
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Faiq Bolkiah is the worlds richest football player, with a net worth of $20 billion which is mainly due to his royal ancestry to a great extent. Bolkiah is a professional footballer belonging to Brunei and plays for the Brunei national team and also is a winger for Chonburi F.C. in Thailand. He is the Prince of Kingdom of Brunei as his uncle is the Sultan of Brunei; Basically he comes from an extremely affluent royal background and his net worth is so high due to his familial wealth and royal lineage, which is further proven by his weekly earnings from football amount to merely $1,000. Currently, Faiq Bolkiah is serving as a midfielder for the Portuguese team Maritimo.
2. Lionel Messi | $600 million
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Net Worth
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$600 million
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Team
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Paris-Saint Germain (PSG)
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Records
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Most Balloon D’Or Award, Most Liga Goals and more.
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Awards
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World Soccer Player of the Year, FIFA Balloon D’Or and many other prestigious awards.
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Books
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The “GOAT” Messi and more.
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Movie
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Lionel Messi: The Greatest.
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Popular footballer, Lionel Messi is the second richest footballer with a jaw dropping net worth of $600 million. He is known by everyone for his legendary performance on the field. Messi is a professional footballer from Argentina and currently is as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain. He is also the captain of the Argentinian national team. He has sealed his status as a legend in football and has been on numerous occasions acknowledged by other legendary football players for the skills Messi displays on the football field. He has 8 Ballon d’Or awards, which is a record in itself. He is also the most awarded player of all time in the history of football. He has books being written on him and films being made on him, making him a a sports icon of 21st century.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo | $500 million
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Net Worth
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$500 million
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|
Team
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AI Nassar
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Records
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Highest goal-scorer in football and many others.
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Awards
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European Golden Shoe, FIFA Ballon D’Or and more.
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Books
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Cristiano Ronaldo: The Rise of a Winner
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Movie
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Cristiano Ronaldo: The World at its Feet.
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Professional footballer from Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo is the captain of Portugal national team and is a forward for AI Nassar in Saudi Arabia. He is the third richest footballer in the world with a net worth of $500 million and has won 5 Ballon d’Or awards, the most by for any European player. He is often pitted against fellow football legend Lionel Messi during matches and their records and skills are often compared time and again, making them into some sort of professional rivals. Ronaldo is the all-time leading goal scorer with the highest number of goals in international football.
4. David Beckham | $450 million
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Net Worth
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$450 million
|
|
Team
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Manchester United
|
|
Records
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Only player to win League titles in 4 countries and more
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Awards
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Premier League Player of the Month, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and more
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Books
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Beckham: My World
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David Beckham, one of the best players of his generation excelled as an attacking midfielder in this era. He enjoyed immense global popularity before his retirement and has many significant achievements under his bag. He has played for various leagues and important clubs like like Manchester United, Real Madrid, the LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain throughout his football journey. He won 19 major trophies, including 6 Premier League titles, one La Liga title, and one MLS Cup. He bid farewell to Professional football in 2013, however he is still widely respected across different sports and is the fourth richest footballer with a net worth of $450 million.
5. Dave Whelan | $210 million
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Net Worth
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$210 million
|
|
Team
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Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra
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Awards
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Freedom of the Borough
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Dave Whelan, former footballer and English businessman, was in 1936 and played as a winger. During his football career he played for Blackburn Rovers and Crewe Alexandra . One of his achievements include him winning the Football League Third Division North title with Blackburn Rovers in 1959–60. He bid farewell to professional football in 1966 and after that attained success in business and started the Wigan Athletic football club of which he was the former owner and chairman for 20 years, before passing it over to his grandson, who eventually passed the ownership over to International Entertainment Corporation. Currently, his net worth is $210 million.
6. Neymar Jr. | $200 million
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Net Worth
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$200 million
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Team
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Paris Saint-Germain
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Records
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Youngest player to reach 100 caps for Brazil, All-time highest scorer for Santos, and many more
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Awards
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Ballon D’Or, FIFA Puskas, Player of the Year and many more
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Books
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Neymar: My Story: Conversations with My Father
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Movie
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Neymar: The Perfect Chaos
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Neymar Jr. is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward for PSG and is a member of the Brazil national team. He is considered as the greatest Brazilian football player of all time by his colleagues and countrymen. His major achievements throughout his career include his two La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles, and the UEFA Champions League in 2015 with Barcelona. His friendship with Lionel Messi has often been a highlight among football lovers, as both are in PSG and their bond is deeply loved.
Him and his contribution was extremely significant for Brazil win the Olympic gold medal in 2016 and the Copa América in 2019.
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | $190 million
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Net Worth
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$190 million
|
|
Team
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Serie A Club AC Milan
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Records
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Oldest player ever to score in Serie A, Greatest Striker of All-Time, and more
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Awards
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Best MLS Player ESPY Award, FIFA Puskas, Golden Foot, Serie A Player of the Year, and many more
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Books
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I Am Zlatan Ibrahimović (autobiography)
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Movie
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Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom (Cameo)
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a retired footballer from Sweden and used to play as a striker for Italian team AC Milan and famous for his acrobatic strikes, technique and ball control; He is most popular for being an exceptional striker and is also the seventh richest footballer in the world. He has scored over 560 goals throughout his career and is his country’s leading all-time leading goal scorer with 62 goals.
8. Kylian Mbappe | $180 million
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Net Worth
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$180 million
|
|
Team
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Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain
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Records
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Four goals in two appearances in the FIFA World Cup finals, and more
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|
Awards
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FIFA World Cup Golden Boot, Golden Boy, Kopa Trophy, and more
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Books
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Kylian Mbappe: World Soccer Star and more.
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Kylian Mbappé, is a talented young footballer from France who plays forward for Paris Saint-Germain and the France national team. His speed and goal scoring as an attacker makes him a dominant force to lookout for. He has won countless prestigious awards in his young age at this stage of his career, like the 4 Ligue 1 titles, 3 Coupe de France titles, and 2 Coupe de la Ligue titles with PSG. He has also won the Golden Boot award. His friendship with fellow footballer Achraf Hakimi and rivalry with Messi on the field has been the highlight of the last world cup in 2022, which was widely hyped by fans.
9. Wayne Rooney | $170 million
|
Net Worth
|
$170 million.
|
|
Team
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D.C. United
|
|
Records
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England’s second-most-capped player and second-highest goalscorer.
|
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Awards
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MLS Best XI, FIFPro World Young Player of the Year, and more.
|
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Books
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Wayne Rooney: My Decade in the Premier League (autobiography)
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Movie
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ROONEY (Netflix Series).
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Wayne Rooney is a retired English professional footballer who played as a striker. He rose to international fame as a teenager while playing with the powerhouse Manchester United and became the youngest goal scorer in premiere league history back then.
Rooney won 13 trophies with Manchester United and one FIFA Club World Cup title throughout his career and retired from football in 2021.
10. Ronaldo Luís Nazário | $160 million
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Net Worth
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$160 million
|
|
Team
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Real Madrid
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|
Record
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Third-highest goal scorer of Brazil, Highest goals in a single La Liga season, and more
|
|
Awards
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European Golden Shoe, FIFA World Player of the Year, World Soccer Player of the Year, Serie A Foreign Footballer of the Year, and more
|
Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima / Ronaldo, is a retired footballer from Brazil. Like Whelan, Ronaldo is a successful businessman. He is seen as one of the greatest players in football history. Ronaldo achieved various records throughout his career and became very wealthy. He became the most expensive player in football history at the age of 21 and the youngest recipient of the Ballon d’Or award a record that is still not broken.
He has been working on making significant and positive impact on humanitarian causes through his power and influence, in his role as a UN goodwill ambassador since 2000.
- Top 10 Football Players of all time.
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Conclusion
Football has evolved into something bigger than a sport today; It is a multi-million dollar industry with a lucrative investment opportunity for brands and businessmen. Also having a global fanbase, makes football all the more profitable. All this has led to football players, especially the ones at the top to become filthy rich. The footballers earn not just from their salaries and bonuses, but also from brand sponsorships, investment deals etc. Faiq Bolkiah has emerged as the worlds richest football player, with a net worth of $20 billion in a 2023 survey, followed by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and other footballers who are excelling in their roles. Their net worth put them on an equal footing with the worlds top industrials and make them part of the uber rich elites, having most of the planets resources at their beck and call.
Who is the world’s youngest richest footballer?
Faiq Bolkiah, aged 25, has been dubbed the ‘world’s youngest richest footballer’ and is estimated to have a net worth of around £13billion.
Which footballer is from a rich family?
Faiq Bolkiah, the world’s richest football player is of royal lineage. Bolkiah grew up being the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei – worth a reported £16billion.
Who is the Richest footballer of all time?
The richest footballer of all time is Faiq Bolkaih. He is the prince of Brunei and has amassed a net worth $20 billion.
Who is the second richest footballer in the world?
Lionel Messi, the Argentinian football legend, with a net worth of whopping $600 million , ranks him as the second richest footballer in the world.
Who are The Top 10 Richest Footballers?
The top 10 richest footballers in the world are: Faiq Bolkiah, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Dave Whelan , Neymar Jr., Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe , Wayne Rooney & Ronaldo Luís Nazário.
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